Product description

The epic story of one man's fight for his love, his God and his country The Road to Jerusalem - Book 1 in the Crusades Trilogy. Arn Magnusson, born into an aristocratic Swedish family, is raised in an old monastery because of an old promise made by his mother. From the start he shows the natural skill and aptitude of a born fighter, yet despite his strength he is innocent in the ways of the world. He is sent from the sheltered walls of the convent to experience something of real life. On his journeys Arn falls foul of various fighting groups, but is also delighted with the women he encounters. Seduced by one sister, he falls in love with the other and ends up sleeping with them both - a mortal sin in the medieval church. While his love is sent to a convent, Arn's sentence is commuted to forced commitment to the cause of the Crusades, where he becomes a notable soldier and eventually a high ranking commander of the Knights Templar and both friend and enemy to the charismatic Saladin. Arn's Story continues in the next two books: The Knight Templar and Kingdom at the End of the Road.

Author information

Jan Oscar Sverre Lucien Henri Guillou was born in Sweden in January 1944. He made his name as a journalist and rose to fame when he exposed a secret intelligence organisation, was convicted of espionage and spent 10 months in prison, 5 of which were spent in solitary confinement. He is now a bestselling novelist and writes regularly for Sweden's leading tabloid, commenting on current affaris.

Review quote

'He has a remarkable grasp of the mindset of the period and always puts the emphasis where it would be for the people involved at hat time, rather than ours. Some readers may find that disorienting, but a capacity for disturbing readers' assumptions is even more a hallmark of good historical fiction than the inclusion of the Knights Templar' Diana Gabaldon 'Thrilling and inspiring, bloody and romantic; utterly of its time and utterly modern' Tom Holland 'Destined to become a classic, a brilliant and dramatic recreation of the medieval world' Sharon Penman